The ribbon is cut with shovels to mark the official ground breaking/ribbon cutting (halfway between start and completion of construction) of the new air cargo fuel tank farm at EIA. Left to right: Alex Lowe, EIA Manager, Cargo Service Development, Shaye Anderson, Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs, Lyle Witkowicz, Regional Operations Manager for Shell Aviation in the Americas, Tom Ruth, EIA President and CEO, Bob Young, Mayor of the City of Leduc and Tanni Doblanko, Mayor of Leduc County.

September 5, 2018 (Edmonton, AB) – Edmonton International Airport (EIA) and fuel tenant, Shell Aviation, broke ground today on two new, two-million litre refuelling tanks in EIA’s Cargo Village. The new tanks will be purpose-built for handling air cargo freighters. The facilities will improve turn-around times for freighter flights because of their closer location.

“Shell’s global aviation business has one of the world’s most extensive refuelling networks. Every day at approximately 850 airports globally, we provide fuel for aircraft, refuelling a plane every 14 seconds on average,” said Lyle Witkowicz, Regional Operations Manager for Shell Aviation in the Americas. “As a key stakeholder at Edmonton International, our investment to increase fuel storage capacity will help support domestic and international growth opportunities in the Edmonton area.”

The location of the new tanks supports EIA's Master Plan to build expanded refuelling services at the southern end of the airport. EIA’s current fuel facilities have already been tripled in capacity to provide 235 million litres per year to aircraft. If EIA is to be able to support the growth of air service required by the communities it serves, further capacity will be needed.

“Through this expansion of fuel storage facilities, Shell Aviation is helping to support economic growth in the Edmonton Metro Region,” said Tom Ruth, EIA President and CEO. “This dedicated cargo fueling facility ensures that air cargo has ready access to fuel, keeping flights on schedule and ensuring operations can continue to expand.”

About Edmonton International Airport

Edmonton International Airport is a self-funded, not-for-profit corporation whose mandate is to drive economic prosperity for the Edmonton Metro Region. EIA is Canada’s fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic and the largest major Canadian airport by land area. EIA offers non-stop connections to destinations across Canada, the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. EIA is a major economic driver, with an economic output of over $3.2 billion, supporting over 26000 jobs. EIA’s Airport City propels new jobs, tourism and economic diversification – and creates a destination in and around EIA, featuring entertainment, e-commerce, retail, hospitality, cargo/logistics, bio-pharma, light manufacturing and many other industries. EIA is focused on digital strategy to ensure it becomes the airport of the future. For more information, please visit: flyeia.com, follow @flyeia on Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin or Facebook.